SnapAV acquired Volutone this week. Volutone adds seven branch locations — six in California and one in Las Vegas (and also serving Hawaii). SnapAV entered the home-tech marketplace 12-years ago counting on an eCommerce platform to be the differentiator. It worked. SnapAV started out selling cables, connectors, furniture and video projection screens but eventually started […]
STRATACACHE has announced the acquisition of Sys-Teams, a UK-based integration company. With this acquisition, led by STRATACACHE Capital Managing Partner Dirk Huelsermann, STRATACACHE is positioning itself as a global solution and service delivery company, adding the 35-person Sys-Team team of technicians, engineers and installers to the current 750 employees STRATACACHE already has. Sys-Teams has focused […]
According to CNBC, CBS MarketWatch, Reuters and Nasdaq’s news service, Plantronics — the maker of wireless headsets and the parent company of Polycom — is for sale. After reporting terrible earnings Tuesday, and the stock plunging 11 percent, it appears they are looking for a buyer. In the earnings announcement Tuesday, Plantronics said its revenue […]
Barco announced today a restructuring plan to align the organization with changing market demands and growth opportunities while enhancing the company’s long-term profitability. This comprehensive plan addresses specific aspects of Barco’s organizational structure and effectiveness particularly in the areas of product management and commercial and service delivery processes. The plan also includes the re-investment of […]
AVI-SPL has just purchased Tennessee-based Interactive Solutions, Inc. (ISI) and its employees have officially joined AVI-SPL, effective Nov. 1, 2018. ISI is headquartered in Memphis, with another office in Nashville, and began serving customers in 1996. Over the years, the ISI team has focused on the customer experience and a cultural commitment to supporting client business needs throughout a […]
Two companies in the enterprise collaboration market, Videxio and Pexip, today announced their intention to merge. Videxio, founded in 2011, is a provider of cloud videoconferencing and collaboration with solutions that fit companies and organizations of all sizes, from start-ups to enterprises. Pexip, founded in 2012, provides a software-based meeting platform that is designed for […]
Kingswood Capital Management (a private equity firm) announced today that it has acquired Houston, Tex.-based WAVE Electronics and will merge WAVE with its portfolio company, AVAD — you may recall that Kingswood purchased AVAD from Ingram Micro back in July 2016. Kingswood says that this will create the largest distributor of AV, security and home […]
Spitfire Creative Technologies, the parent company of Magenta Research and tvONE, has purchased Green Hippo, a developer and manufacturer of media servers and digital display products with offices in the UK and the U.S. Spitfire also owns tvONE and Magenta Research, manufacturers of video processing and signal distribution products. “Green Hippo and tvONE each have […]
Next month, I have the opportunity to be part of an amazing panel at CCUMC on AVaaS. Being part of this panel has made me think more about the service and do some research on it. I don’t want to spoil the entire panel here, after all, I know that we will have a huge […]
NSCA has just released an updated Financial Analysis of the Industry report for 2018, providing information that systems integrators can use to benchmark and compare expenses, profits, sales and other data against industry peers of similar size and business focus. The Financial Analysis of the Industry details the industry’s performance based on data collected from […]
LOUD Audio, LLC today announced that it has sold the EAW business from its portfolio of pro audio and MI businesses to the Italian pro-audio company RCF Group. This is the third and final divestiture by Transom aimed at allowing LOUD to narrow its focus to the Mackie brand and deliver the best possible products […]
Every business owner in every company hopes, especially when they invent or pioneer something unique, that their competition will be good. Bad competition tends to shred an industry and can lead to its eventual demise. For example, I have many friends that own AV integration firms — they love the good competition and loathe the […]
Almo Professional AV announced it has acquired certain assets of Insteo, Inc., a specialized digital signage content and creative company that programs and designs content for digital signage, then provides tools to manage the day-to-day changes in the cloud. As part of the acquisition, the Almo content creation team is being led by Jim Nista, […]
Stampede today announced that it has been acquired by the technology division of DCC plc, a £14.3 billion revenue, London Stock Exchange listed (LSE) international sales, marketing and support services group that employs 11,000 people in four divisions operating in 17 countries. Who the heck is DCC? DCC is a leading international sales, marketing and support services group that operates through four divisions: […]
LOUD Audio, LLC today announced that it has sold the Martin Audio brand from its portfolio of Pro Audio and MI businesses to UK-based mid-market private equity investor LDC. LPUD says that this move is aimed at allowing LOUD to narrow its focus and deliver the best possible products and experience to its pro audio […]
Diversified has announced the acquisition of UK-based Digitavia. Diversified Founder and CEO Fred D’Alessandro said, “In today’s global economy, overseas expansion is a necessary step in continuing our strategic plan and success. Having successfully partnered with the Digitavia team on multiple projects in the past, the decision to combine our companies and bring them into […]
Vogel’s just announced its intention to take a majority ownership stake in SmartMetals Mounting Solutions. SmartMetals is a well-known European-based manufacturer of floor, wall and ceiling mounting solutions for projectors, displays and whiteboards. With this majority interest, Vogel’s wants to position itself even more as a specialist in AV product solutions. It is strengthening its […]
Update: Just two days following the publication of this blog, Barco announced exactly what I suggested — they’ve integrated Overture into ClickShare! It will be shown at InfoComm. Click here to read more about the announcement. At least year’s ISE show in Amsterdam, Barco officially launched itself into a (potentially) competitive fight with the […]
Today Leon Speakers announced that it has acquired Terra Speakers, Maine-based manufacturer of rugged, all-weather speakers. Leon and Terra have a long history of working together. Terra’s All Climate FIVE line of all-weather loudspeakers was designed in partnership with Kaplan, and Leon’s Boundary Series outdoor speakers are made with drivers manufactured by Terra at its […]
Lutron Electronics has signed an agreement to acquire Ketra, whose Natural Light solutions provide the highest-quality light — light that seamlessly emulates daylight in interior spaces. Founded in 2009 in Austin, Texas, Ketra offers lighting and control solutions that deliver beautiful, customizable light in residential and commercial environments. Ketra’s selection of light sources creates high-quality white, pastels and saturated colors, which enhance the look of […]
Today Leyard and Planar announced the intent to acquire eyevis, a manufacturer of visual display solutions. Through this geographic expansion, the companies will better serve customers in EMEA with combined marketing, sales, installation support and customer service. eyevis, a German manufacturer of large screen systems, is a provider and integrator of visualization systems for professional applications in control rooms, broadcast, virtual reality […]
During the next three years, buyers of display products (direct-view and projection) anticipate 20-percent growth in the number of displays per location, even as replacement cycles grow longer due to more durable technology, according to a new report from AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association and PMA Research. The report, Worldwide Market for Large-Display Projects: How Buying Decisions Are […]
As the rest of the advertiser-supported AV press just reprints the Polycom or Plantronics press releases, we’re going to call it how we see it — with the truth about this “acquisition.” Yes, Plantronics is taking control of Polycom — a history-making videoconferencing company that all but invented the space — for what amounts to $2.0 billion in enterprise […]
Barco announced the sale of Montréal-based X2O Media to STRATACACHE. STRATACACHE will offer an enhanced focus and new growth opportunities for X2O. After its acquisition in 2014, X2O became part of Barco’s Enterprise division, which focuses on solutions for meeting and control rooms. Over the years, X2O secured top tier customers including John Deere, Verizon, FoxNews and Accenture. All customer agreements will […]
AVI Systems announced today that it has acquired Magenium Solutions, a Chicago-based technology services provider that brings vast expertise in Microsoft competencies to hundreds of companies nationwide. Magenium Solutions: Now “Powered By AVI” Commenting on Magenium’s future as a company “Powered By AVI,” Tim Traxinger, managing director and co-founder of Magenium Solutions, said, “This is a union of kindred companies. As a 100 percent ESOP organization, AVI […]
RTI today announced that it has acquired the Miravue video-over-IP distribution solution from the company of the same name. Continuing its efforts to provide dealers with a comprehensive, end-to-end solution, RTI will offer the RTI Miravue VIP-1 video-over-IP system for powerful, scalable AV distribution over Ethernet, coax cable, and wireless networking. The Miravue VIP-1 acts as a transmitter, receiver, network switch and […]
NEC Display Solutions today announced the acquisition of S[quadrat], a provider of LED solutions, as the company looks to expand its display technology portfolio to include complete LED systems for indoor (fine pitch) and outdoor solutions, designed and engineered in Germany. With more than 30 years’ experience in the AV industry, this acquisition further strengthens and positions NEC as […]
BlueDog Data Services, a provider of data management services supporting the tools, processes and standards necessary for integrators to compete, grow and remain profitable, announces a merger with Audio Design, Inc., a provider of outsourced system design and documentation, to form the BlueDog Group. The companies combine to offer a more comprehensive suite of design (proposals), project documentation (drawings), […]
LMG, an ETP company, announced its acquisition of AV-integrators, an audiovisual and broadcast video integration company based out of Silicon Valley. Founded in 2002, AV-integrators is a systems design build firm providing customized audiovisual and broadcast video solutions to numerous industries throughout northern California and known for their early-stage system planning and post-installation support. “We’ve been serving clients […]
Today, Polycom announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Obihai Technology, Inc., a San Jose-based innovator in VoIP audio solutions. Obihai Technology develops software and hardware for VoIP endpoints. The strategic addition of its software and development team allows Polycom to compete more effectively in the global voice market and broadens Polycom’s portfolio to […]
Control4 today announced that it has acquired Ihiji, a provider of remote management services. Control4 says that by combining two industry-leading network and device management solutions — BakPak from Control4 (after Control4’s 2016 acquisition of Pakedge) and Invision from Ihiji — into one unified service platform, Control4 will provide offer integrators a unified cloud-based system […]
Unified AV Systems announced today the completion of the acquisition of Xzact Technologies and plans to merge the operations of Xzact Technologies into the company effective Jan. 1, 2018. Unified AV Systems (UAVS) is an Atlanta, GA-based company providing design, engineering, installation, and maintenance services for Audio Visual & Video communication systems to corporate, education, […]